Experimental Study of Mathematics Instruction in Elementary Schools. Final Report.

Good, Thomas L.; Grouws, Douglas A.

The development and field testing of two instructional mathematics programs are discussed. The general instructional program evolved from earlier research, and was field tested with 40 teachers and over 1000 fourth-grade students. Data reflected that this program had strong, positive effects on students' achievement. The second program focused on the development of instructional strategies for attempting to improve students' skills for solving verbal problems. The data base for building such a training program was considerably more limited than the base available in designing the general program. The second experiment was run with 36 teachers and other 1000 sixth-grade students. Data suggest that verbal problem-solving skills of treatment students were enhanced in comparison to that of control students. Research that examined the impact of instructional programs upon particular student types is also reported. Interactions were noted between treatment condition, teacher type, and student type. Work on interactions in the second experiment was still in progress at the time of this report. Early indications suggest low-achieving and dependent students may benefit the most. (MP)